A Naked Singularity: A Novel (96 page)

“Wait a minute,” said Toomberg but just then Conley was paged to reception and not often have I felt such relief. After he left Toom turned to me.

“By the way, there’s another reason I’ve been feeling so sanguine about humanity of late and that’s your brief.”

“Huh?”

“I just finished reading it and don’t really know what word to use to describe it.”

“The word
finished
I most covet.”

“Well I certainly don’t think it could be filed exactly as is.”

“No I told you, you’ll fix it.”

“It would almost certainly get you disbarred or something but it’s nonetheless an astonishing document and as such it filled me with optimism. That someone was capable of that. That someone wanted to do that, someone I know no less. It had qualities of art. In fact I discussed it extensively with my wife and even though we ultimately concluded it was not art we gave it more than passing consideration. I think what ultimately denied it that lofty status was the work’s selfish prescriptivism if that makes any sense, its innervating desire for a specific result. True art, by contrast, seems marked by a generous susceptibility to extrapolation. Your work, understandably, is not sufficiently oriented in that direction to constitute art and has more in common with something like advertising. Advertising of course, despite the activities it often subsumes, is not art and neither, regrettably, is your document.”

“I wasn’t aiming for art Toom.”

“Oh I know of course. I was just so shocked and affected by it that I felt I had to share that with you.”

“ . . .”

“I’ll make the necessary edits and we’ll file it. Well I should say I doubt, based on today, that we will actually end up filing it. And all that work for nothing. I hate to say it but you may have poured your very soul, as you obviously did, into the creation of this work and it may never be read by anyone, it may never so much as influence a single person’s actions. I just came to that realization, how awful.”

“Wait a minute, maybe it is art.”

“Well that’s the only downside to today’s events I suppose. I’m still thrilled. Can I be the one to tell Jalen the good news, well to write him about it.”

“I don’t know.”

“Please, up until now you’ve basically had all the personal contact with him and I’m very grateful for that but I would love to do this. I think I could do it with appropriate concern for the fact that he and I do not have the relationship you have with him.”

“It’s not that, and I’m not doubting your reading of the situation, it’s just that . . . if you’re wrong.”

“I see, I’ll couch it appropriately don’t worry. It’s not just that it would give me pleasure to write the letter either. I also believe that writing a letter like that with potential good news fulfills an important obligation of ours.”

“There’s nothing really that
must
be disclosed.”

“Not that kind of obligation. I’m talking about an obligation I think we have to not only seek legal success but also to provide our client with the occasional ray of light and hope so to speak. Especially now that he’s in that outrageous enforced isolation. In a manner of speaking, we’re his only friends.”

“All right but don’t go overboard.”

“I won’t,” he said getting up to leave. “And don’t worry I’ll be sure to give you a copy of the letter for the file, ha ha!”

I laughed too but not then, later, when I saw Ralph and the way he was dressed.

“What’s the meaning of this Ralphie boy,” I said when I could. Like an overstuffed sausage, Ralph was encased in a tight crewneck sweater. Atop his head sat a beret-type lid and his similarly tight white pants ended a good six inches above his ankles. In his hands was a titanium Big Bertha golf club that he swung slightly between his parted legs in the hallway outside his door.

“Hey pal,” he said. “Whattya say we try and get nine in before supper.”

I laughed again.

“So? Whattya say pal?”

“Oh you were serious? What are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? What am I talking about? Golf! Nine holes. Let’s go pal.”

“It’s like ten degrees out.”

“I don’t care what degrees out it is. Somehow Mr. Monahan got the impression I’m this great golfer and now we’re playing on Sunday. You have any idea what this could mean to my future? I got two days to learn how to play golf. Surely you’re going to help me pal.”

“How did Monahan get that idea?”

“Uh humana, well never mind that! You gunna help me out or not?”

“First of all, I’ve never played golf in my life. So there’s that. Second of all, even if I was an avid golfer, the current temperature is I think seven degrees. Seven.”

“It’s just as well. I can’t learn to play golf in two days. It would take at least a week. Me and my biiig mouth!”

“Guess you’re just going to have to tell the truth.”

“The truth? Have you gone cuckoo? I’m serious, I’m calling Bellevue cuz you’re nuts!”

“What then?”

“Simple, I’ll just have to feign some sort of injury. Do you have any of those fake plaster casts around?”

“No but good luck, let me know how it works out.” As I reached the top of the stairs to my apartment Ralph called out to me but so lowly that I debated whether to pretend deafness. When instead I answered he said someone had been there looking for me. My insides tightened and I sat on the top stair.

“He didn’t give his name or anything but he seemed really interested in finding you that’s for sure.”

“What did he look like?”

“Hard to say.”

“It was that detective who once before talked to you about looking for me right?”

“Oh no it soytainly wasn’t him.”

“I’m pretty sure it probably was.”

“Oh no it definitely wasn’t him.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Oh I’m sure pal,” he said. “Wait here.” He went inside then came back out with a newspaper, The Post. I came down and took it from his hand. “See?” he said. “It wasn’t him.”

On the front page of the paper was a picture of Assado’s head. I don’t mean to say that the photographer only captured Assado’s head within the frame of the picture. I mean that Assado’s head was now its own separate entity. I turned quickly to page three. It said what I already knew, that the head and its nearby body belonged to Homicide Detective Mondongo Qualtagh Assado and that it had been found, along with another
decapitatee
, at an uptown apartment known to function as a drug stash house. It said the other head belonged to
known minor drug kingpin
Juan Escalera and that the preliminary available evidence pointed to a dispute over drug money and that Assado was a
dirty cop
. And someone from the medical examiner’s office said there were no signs of
serration
meaning most likely that
the excisions were achieved solely through extreme pull combined with torque
or as another put it
them heads was simply ripped off
which led the police to conclude that
either a machine of some sort or a great many individuals were involved as no single human could generate that kind of force
. I put down the paper and dropped my wet face into my hands.

“See what I mean,” Ralph said. “That’s how I’m sure it wasn’t him. Besides the guy was looking for you this time was bigger than the cop, much bigger. He was probably the biggest fella I’ve ever seen he was. No I take that back, he was
definitely
the biggest fella I’ve ever seen. He had arms like long fire hydrants pal. I once knew a guy named Harvey who we thought was pretty big but this fella today makes Harvey look like my friend Shirley, ha ha! Anyway I told him I didn’t know where you were but that you definitely lived here and should be back relatively soon. I don’t know, he didn’t seem to want to wait. He had strange skin too pal, in some areas.”

I thanked Ralph and left. From a payphone I tried Dane at The Plaza but they said he wasn’t there. I tried him at his old apartment but a new tenant answered and I wondered why you would keep the same phone number as the previous tenant. And I got similar results the days thereafter and checked myself into a miserable hotel, the kind that still advertises Color TV as an attraction, and went to work only sparingly and then only to answer Jalen’s letters, letters I saved up and until the day Toomberg came into my office to start preparing for my hearing in Cymbeline; only we never did prepare because I left shortly after he entered my office, went to get my stuff from that dump, and moved back into my apartment for good. That day, the last day I saw Toomberg, I had been told multiple times, in the usual locations, that someone was looking for me and usually the person telling me this would have a strangely troubled look on their face. I was in my office alone with all the Kingg letters and after I read the newest ones several times I wrote Jalen a final letter and made a phone call. Then I hung up the phone ripped it off the jack and flung it across the room. Some people looked in and left without saying anything then a minute later Toomberg appeared smilingly unaware.

“You’ll be glad to see I took your advice to heart,” he said. “I truly tried to contain my optimism in this letter even though every ensuing event since we first spoke has only served to increase it. Here’s the copy I promised you for your files. Oh I see you already have the Kingg letters out, perfect. Want to know why I’m even more optimistic now?”

“ . . .”

“Okay, well I was thinking about what Conley said the other day regarding what I guess he would call the inherent unfairness of the mere existence of individuals who are mentally impaired. First, what are your views on the subject?”

“ . . .”

“Because I know Conley has this reputation as a bit of a strange bird but . . . go ahead get that . . . well? . . . aren’t you going to answer that? Casi!”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“Answer what?”

“The phone, you’re being paged from reception.”

“Oh,” I clicked the red button. “Yeah Denise.”

“There’s someone here to see you,” she was whispering. “He was here this morning too but he won’t give his name.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Okay.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

“There’s someone here to see you.”

“Oh.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I’ll come out.”

“Casi?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know how to say this but he’s really big and kind of scary looking and he seems really upset. Do you want me to call security?”

“We have security? Since when?”

“Well the building does.”

“Oh, security? No that’s okay.”

“He’s very big.”

“So?”

“He’s very angry, I don’t know.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well what’s his name?”

“He won’t give one. You want me to ask again? He’s upset.”

“Never mind, I know who it is.”

“You want me to say you’re gone for the day? He can’t hear me behind the glass.”

“Right.”

“Casi?”

“Coming.”

I stared straight ahead. Then I stood up and walked out on Toom, down the hall and out to the reception area. But the person waiting there for me was someone I had never seen before and after the slightest investigation it turned out he wasn’t even looking for me but rather some other attorney whose name was only slightly similar to mine. And he wasn’t scary looking at all, at least he didn’t scare me. Nor was he all that big either.

Who, if I cried, would hear me from among the Angelic Dominions?

—Rainer Maria Rilke

LEGAL
CORRESPONDENCE: CONFIDENTIAL

#Z311

Jalen Kingg

Cell 9C-03

Holman Unit

3700 Holman

Atmore, Alabama 36503

Dear Mr. Kingg:

I am writing to introduce myself to you. Enclosed with this letter is one of my business cards with all of my contact information.

As you can see I am a New York City public defender and I, along with Melvyn Toomberg and Joseph Ledo, two other attorneys in this office, will be representing you
pro bono
during this stage of your appeal in the hopes of ultimately securing a vacatur of the death sentence you received.

I will, of course, keep you informed of all relevant proceedings in your case but feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

LEGAL CORRESPONDENCE: CONFIDENTIAL

#Z311

Jalen Kingg

Cell 9C-03

Holman Unit

3700 Holman

Atmore, Alabama 36503

Dear Mr. Kingg:

I hope that you are doing well. With respect to the status of your appeal we are currently still awaiting delivery of the entire file on your case.

Once we have received and fully reviewed these remaining documents I will contact you with information as to what legal issues we expect to raise and how we will proceed from a procedural standpoint. We expect that to occur relatively soon.